Crew SC's Afful and Saravia earn international callups

A pair of Columbus Crew SC players have received international call-ups ahead of the March FIFA window, as right back Harrison Afful will join up with his Ghanaian teammates for African Cup of Nations qualifying and Rodrigo Saravia will pull on a Guatemala uniform for the next round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.

Afful's call-up comes as no surprise, as he has been a regular part of the Black Stars setup, with 58 caps. His last appearance with the national team came in November for World Cup qualifying.

Ghana will twice face Mozambique, on March 24 and and 27. The team is currently leading qualifying Group H after victories over Mauritius and Rwanda.

Saravia's inclusion in his nation's senior squad is a relatively new development. Crew SC fans will be able to keep a close eye on the midfielder, as Guatemala is set to take on the United States in a pair of games in the upcoming round of World Cup qualifying. The Guatemalans will host a meeting on March 25 before the two countries play in the familiar confines of Columbus' MAPFRE Stadium, where Black & Gold fans will have a chance to get an up-close look at how Saravia fits in the Guatemalan picture.

Saravia's first cap with his national team came last month.

The young player, who was selected by Columbus in the first round of the 2016 MLS Draft, is yet to make an official appearance with the MLS club.

Neither player will miss any matches for Crew SC, with MLS taking a break for the international window. After the Black & Gold travel to Chicago on Saturday, they do not play again until April 2, in a road contest at Dallas.